Category Archives: Family Law 5 Parts

When changing anyone’s name in Illinois you must proceed under statute 735 ILCS 5/21-101 which requires that the person whose name is being changed be an Illinois resident for at least 6 months. You may change your name, your spouse’s name and your children’s name all together, if you so desire, under the same petition.…

If there is no previous order you can file a Motion To Enter an Allocation of Parenting Responsibilities and Parenting Time. The court will consider what parenting time (formerly called visitation) you should be awarded based on the best interests of the child. If an order for parenting time or visitation already exists, you cannot…

One of the key functions of a divorce is the division of property acquired during the course of a marriage. Illinois is an ‘equitable division’ state, meaning the courts are inclined to divide all marital property equitably. This can be either 50/50, 60/40, or another ratio based on what the court determines to be equitable.…

For years, Illinois statutes referred to decision making for the children of separated parents as “custody” and the time spent with the children by the non-primary parent as “visitation”. As of January 1, 2016, the Illinois state legislature changed all the terminology presumably so that parents would no longer feel unequal with emotionally charged terms…

Maintenance is a monetary sum paid by one spouse for the benefit of the other spouse upon separation or the dissolution of marriage; also called “alimony” or “spousal support.” In determining how much one spouse will pay another spouse maintenance (formerly known as alimony), In Illinois the first step is to determine if the spouse…